The news that Ben Stokes will no longer be leading England out onto the pitch has left a huge void in the side, and now the fallout from his dramatic announcement is causing ripples at the highest level of international cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has formally contacted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over concerns that footage of Stokes' retirement video was broadcast too soon.
The 35-year-old all-rounder dropped a bombshell on the fourth day of the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, telling his teammates in the dressing room before play commenced on that Sunday. The moment was captured on camera and audio, and within minutes it was shared with broadcasters and social media, just as the tea interval was about to kick in.
The ICC has alleged that this timing contravenes its 'players' and match officials' areas' (PMOA) minimum standards, specifically Article 2.2.11 which states that national cricket federations must "Ensure that there are no fixed or temporary video cameras or other recording equipment set up within any dressing room used by the teams for the purposes of broadcasting video or audio footage." The ICC had previously advised the ECB to keep audio out of these areas and not release any footage until a match is over.
The letter from the ICC, sent on Saturday, claims that the ECB has breached this provision. Stokes himself explained at the end of play that the public announcement was a pre-arranged plan between his agents and the ECB - it was no surprise to anyone, except perhaps Zak Foulkes, who fell to Stokes in just his first delivery after news broke!
The PMOA minimum standards were introduced by the ICC as part of its anti-corruption code. Neither the ECB nor the ICC has commented publicly on this matter yet, although a meeting between ECB chair Richard Thompson and ICC chairman Jay Shah was scheduled for the day before at Lord's during the Women's T20 World Cup final. The ECB remains tight-lipped about the situation.
Stokes' retirement will leave a huge gap in England's Test team, with captaincy up for grabs ahead of the series against Pakistan in August. Vice-captain Harry Brook has thrown his hat into the ring but it looks like the ECB won't be rushing into an appointment anytime soon - there are bigger questions about the men's team and its management structure that need answering first.